The 46-size large cylindrical battery emerged to overcome the high performance and low cost demands of the electric vehicle market and the limitations of conventional small cylindrical batteries. Since Tesla unveiled the 4680 cell in 2020, structural innovations such as larger size and tabless have been in full swing, and major global players such as BMW, CATL, and Samsung SDI have also accelerated development and mass production.
The 4680 cell offers about five times the energy capacity of the previous 21700, while significantly reducing the number of cells, simplifying the pack structure, increasing production efficiency, and improving range. However, technical hurdles remain high, including the complexity of the assembly process, the difficulty of winding and welding, and ensuring quality uniformity in large cells, making yield and cost competitiveness a key challenge for the industry.
In this column, we will briefly review the technical features, advantages and disadvantages of 46-size large cylindrical batteries, as well as the development status and targets of different companies, and discuss the challenges ahead.
4.Key player developments and goals